Ireland Stars Finish High Up In Celtic Challenge Scoring Charts
Dannah O'Brien is pictured with Stacey Flood and Aoife Dalton following the Wolfhounds' opening round win over the Clovers at Energia Park in December ©SPORTSFILE/Seb Daly
Heading into the Guinness Women’s Six Nations, Dannah O’Brien finished the Celtic Challenge as the competition’s top points scorer with 74 points. Fellow Ireland out-half, Nicole Fowley, also breached the half-century mark with 52 points.
Crowned champions for the second season running, the Wolfhounds won nine of their ten matches in the expanded cross-border competition, scoring an average of 46.2 points and 7.4 tries per game.
Young number 10 O’Brien, with 19 international caps to her name at the age of just 21, landed six conversions in a record 102-0 final round win for Neill Alcorn’s side at Energia Park last Saturday.
The Tullow native contributed 74 points in all, ending up 13 clear of Glasgow Warriors’ Briar McNamara, while Gwalia Lightning out-half Carys Hughes was the third highest scorer with 60 points.
Next up was the tournament’s most prolific try scorer this season, Edinburgh Rugby winger Hannah Walker, who earned a Scotland squad call-up with her total of 11 tries – just one shy of Katie Corrigan’s dozen for the Wolfhounds in 2023/24.
Teenager Corrigan was prominent again during their title defence, finishing as the joint-second top try scorer with nine, a tally matched by Anna McGann, who impressed on the wing and at centre for the Clovers who made it an Irish 1-2 at the top of the table.
Amee-Leigh Costigan, who gained captaincy experience with the Clovers, was just one try behind them on eight, and her Ireland team-mate, Wolfhounds centre Eve Higgins, and Edinburgh flyer Cieron Bell scored seven each.
The Denis Fogarty-coached Clovers amassed 415 points and 69 tries from their nine outings. Only two points separated them from their Irish rivals at the summit, with their round 5 clash with Glasgow unfortunately recorded as a 0-0 draw by the organising commitee as there was insufficient space to rearrange the fixture.
CELTIC CHALLENGE TOP SCORERS AFTER ROUND 10:
POINTS –
74 – Dannah O’Brien (Wolfhounds)
61 – Briar McNamara (Glasgow Warriors)
60 – Carys Hughes (Gwalia Lightning)
55 – Hannah Walker (Edinburgh Rugby)
52 – Nicole Fowley (Clovers)
45 – Anna McGann (Clovers), Katie Corrigan (Wolfhounds)
40 – Amee-Leigh Costigan (Clovers)
35 – Cieron Bell (Edinburgh Rugby), Eve Higgins (Wolfhounds)
33 – Lucy MacRae (Edinburgh Rugby)
30 – Claire Boles (Wolfhounds), Emily Lane (Clovers), Leah Tarpey (Wolfhounds)
25 – Aoife Dalton (Wolfhounds), Beth Buttimer (Clovers), Deirbhile Nic a Bháird (Clovers), Hannah Bluck (Brython Thunder), Linda Djougang (Wolfhounds)
20 – Aila Roland (Edinburgh Rugby), Amy Larn (Wolfhounds), Anna Doyle (Wolfhounds), Caitlin Lewis (Gwalia Lightning), Erin King (Wolfhounds), Hanna Marshall (Brython Thunder), Sophie Barrett (Clovers), Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Wolfhounds)
17 – Lauren Farrell McCabe (Wolfhounds), Lucia Scott (Edinburgh Rugby)
16 – Sian Jones (Gwalia Lightning)
15 – Alaw Pyrs (Gwalia Lightning), Bryonie King (Gwalia Lightning), Courtney Greenway (Gwalia Lightning), Eleanor Hing (Brython Thunder), Enya Breen (Clovers), Faith Oviawe (Clovers), Gwen Cragg (Brython Thunder), Gwennan Hopkins (Gwalia Lightning), Jane Clohessy (Clovers), Jemima Adams Verling (Clovers), Lily Terry (Gwalia Lightning), Maebh Clenaghan (Wolfhounds), Maisie Davies (Gwalia Lightning)
14 – CaitrÃona Finn (Clovers)
10 – Abi Evans (Glasgow Warriors), Alma Atagamen (Wolfhounds), Brittany Hogan (Wolfhounds), Catrin Jones (Brython Thunder), Chisom Ugwueru (Clovers), Chloe Gant (Brython Thunder), Emily Gavin (Clovers), Emily Norval (Glasgow Warriors), Gabby Healan (Brython Thunder), Gemma Bell (Glasgow Warriors), Hannah Clarke (Clovers), Hannah Lane (Brython Thunder), Jane Neill (Clovers), Kate Yeomans (Glasgow Warriors), Katie Whelan (Wolfhounds), Kelly Burke (Wolfhounds), Kelsie Webster (Gwalia Lightning), Merryn Gunderson (Edinburgh Rugby), Rhodd Parry (Gwalia Lightning), Roma Fraser (Glasgow Warriors), Saoirse Crowe (Clovers), Seren Singleton (Brython Thunder), Shona Campbell (Edinburgh Rugby), Sky Phimister (Glasgow Warriors)
9 – Ceitidh Ainsworth (Glasgow Warriors), Ellie Tromans (Brython Thunder)
7 – Stacey Flood (Wolfhounds)
5 – Ailie Tucker (Glasgow Warriors), Aisha Zameer (Glasgow Warriors), Alana McInerney (Clovers), Ami Conchie (Edinburgh Rugby), Aoibheann Reilly (Clovers), Aoife Wafer (Wolfhounds), Brianna Heylmann (Clovers), Catherine Richards (Gwalia Lightning), Ella Roberts (Wolfhounds), Emily Coubrough (Glasgow Warriors), Erinn Foley (Glasgow Warriors), Evie Gill (Brython Thunder), Faye Sutherland (Edinburgh Rugby), Freya Bell (Gwalia Lightning), Giselle Chicot (Edinburgh Rugby), Grainne Burke (Clovers), Grainne Moran (Clovers), Hannah McMahon (Edinburgh Rugby), Hannah Ramsay (Edinburgh Rugby), Holland Bogan (Glasgow Warriors), Ivana Kiripati (Clovers), Jenny Hesketh (Gwalia Lightning), Katie Heffernan (Wolfhounds), Lauryn Walter (Edinburgh Rugby), Lisa Martin (Glasgow Warriors), Mairi McDonald (Glasgow Warriors), Méabh Deely (Clovers), Molly Anderson-Thomas (Gwalia Lightning), Molly Boyne (Wolfhounds), Molly Reardon (Gwalia Lightning), Molly Scuffil-McCabe (Wolfhounds), Molly Wakely (Gwalia Lightning), Natalia John (Brython Thunder), Niamh O’Dowd (Wolfhounds), Nicole Flynn (Glasgow Warriors), Orla Proctor (Glasgow Warriors), Page Jones (Gwalia Lightning), Poppy Fletcher (Glasgow Warriors), Rhea Clarke (Edinburgh Rugby), Robyn Davies (Brython Thunder), Rosie Carr (Brython Thunder), Samaanther Taganekurukuru (Edinburgh Rugby), Shirley Bailey (Clovers), Tara Tanake (Edinburgh Rugby)
2 – Carla McDonald (Glasgow Warriors), Ellie O’Sullivan Sexton (Wolfhounds)
TRIES –
11 – Hannah Walker (Edinburgh Rugby)
9 – Anna McGann (Clovers), Katie Corrigan (Wolfhounds)
8 – Amee-Leigh Costigan (Clovers)
7 – Briar McNamara (Glasgow Warriors), Cieron Bell (Edinburgh Rugby), Eve Higgins (Wolfhounds)
6 – Claire Boles (Wolfhounds), Emily Lane (Clovers), Leah Tarpey (Wolfhounds)
5 – Aoife Dalton (Wolfhounds), Beth Buttimer (Clovers), Deirbhile Nic a Bháird (Clovers), Hannah Bluck (Brython Thunder), Linda Djougang (Wolfhounds)
4 – Aila Roland (Edinburgh Rugby), Amy Larn (Wolfhounds), Anna Doyle (Wolfhounds), Caitlin Lewis (Gwalia Lightning), Erin King (Wolfhounds), Sophie Barrett (Clovers), Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Wolfhounds)
3 – Alaw Pyrs (Gwalia Lightning), Bryonie King (Gwalia Lightning), Courtney Greenway (Gwalia Lightning), Eleanor Hing (Brython Thunder), Enya Breen (Clovers), Faith Oviawe (Clovers), Gwen Crabb (Brython Thunder), Gwennan Hopkins (Gwalia Lightning), Jane Clohessy (Clovers), Jemima Adams Verling (Clovers), Lily Terry (Gwalia Lightning), Maebh Clenaghan (Wolfhounds), Maisie Davies (Gwalia Lightning)
2 – Abi Evans (Glasgow Warriors), Alma Atagamen (Wolfhounds), Brittany Hogan (Wolfhounds), Catrin Jones (Brython Thunder), Chisom Ugwueru (Clovers), Chloe Gant (Brython Thunder), Emily Gavin (Clovers), Emily Norval (Glasgow Warriors), Gabby Healan (Brython Thunder), Gemma Bell (Glasgow Warriors), Hannah Clarke (Clovers), Hannah Lane (Brython Thunder), Jane Neill (Clovers), Kate Yeomans (Glasgow Warriors), Katie Whelan (Wolfhounds), Kelly Burke (Wolfhounds), Kelsie Webster (Gwalia Lightning), Lucia Scott (Edinburgh Rugby), Merryn Gunderson (Edinburgh Rugby), Rhodd Parry (Gwalia Lightning), Roma Fraser (Glasgow Warriors), Saoirse Crowe (Clovers), Seren Singleton (Brython Thunder), Shona Campbell (Edinburgh Rugby), Sian Jones (Gwalia Lightning), Sky Phimister (Glasgow Warriors)
1 – Ailie Tucker (Glasgow Warriors), Aisha Zameer (Glasgow Warriors), Alana McInerney (Clovers), Ami Conchie (Edinburgh Rugby), Aoibheann Reilly (Clovers), Aoife Wafer (Wolfhounds), Brianna Heylmann (Clovers), Carys Hughes (Gwalia Lightning), Catherine Richards (Gwalia Lightning), Ceitidh Ainsworth (Glasgow Warriors), Ella Roberts (Wolfhounds), Ellie Tromans (Brython Thunder), Emily Coubrough (Glasgow Warriors), Erinn Foley (Glasgow Warriors), Evie Gill (Brython Thunder), Faye Sutherland (Edinburgh Rugby), Freya Bell (Gwalia Lightning), Giselle Chicot (Edinburgh Rugby), Grainne Burke (Clovers), Grainne Moran (Clovers), Hannah McMahon (Edinburgh Rugby), Hannah Ramsay (Edinburgh Rugby), Holland Bogan (Glasgow Warriors), Ivana Kiripati (Clovers), Jenny Hesketh (Gwalia Lightning), Katie Heffernan (Wolfhounds), Lauren Farrell McCabe (Wolfhounds), Lauryn Walter (Edinburgh Rugby), Lucy MacRae (Edinburgh Rugby), Mairi McDonald (Glasgow Warriors), Méabh Deely (Clovers), Molly Anderson-Thomas (Gwalia Lightning), Molly Boyne (Wolfhounds), Molly Reardon (Gwalia Lightning), Molly Scuffil-McCabe (Wolfhounds), Molly Wakely (Gwalia Lightning), Natalia John (Brython Thunder), Niamh O’Dowd (Wolfhounds), Nicole Flynn (Glasgow Warriors), Orla Proctor (Glasgow Warriors), Page Jones (Gwalia Lightning), Poppy Fletcher (Glasgow Warriors), Rhea Clarke (Edinburgh Rugby), Robyn Davies (Brython Thunder), Rosie Carr (Brython Thunder), Samaanther Taganekurukuru (Edinburgh Rugby), Shirley Bailey (Clovers), Stacey Flood (Wolfhounds), Tara Tanake (Edinburgh Rugby)